Amaretto, Insomnia, and the Red Shoe Diaries

The last time I was on a writing deadline like this, a routine evolved — drink a glass of Amaretto, listen to Amy Winehouse, type until your fingers hurt, and wake up after a few hours of sleep to creep around the house, scribbling lines and plot points on note pads.

This time, Amy Winehouse has been replaced by older CDs — the Essential Nina Simone and movie soundtracks (Queen of the Damned, Bram Stoker’s Dracula, and the Red Shoe Diaries).